要提高攝影水平就要多看大師作品多聽大師意見。但是光□□□□□□的不行，一定要放眼世界，瞄準(zhǔn)全球頂尖水平。攝影專業(yè)英文的重要性就不言而喻了。我花了半個周末的時間翻譯了這篇我認為很好的文章， 英文原文也一并附上，希望對攝影初學(xué)者和學(xué)英文的同學(xué)都有所幫助。也期待大家的批評指正。此文的翻譯初稿是2003年初完成的，這里我要感謝園園小姐那時候的熱心幫助，做為英文專業(yè)人士她耐心幫我改正了不少我譯文中的一些欠妥之處。翻譯是再創(chuàng)作，此話真的不假。太費時間了。SO 謝謝我自己，和園園。
本文作者的照片：
Lens Sharpness - The Never-Ending Quest
But How Sharp Is it Really!? One of the most common questions that I'm asked is, Is the ...
lens sharper than the ... lens? A variation on this theme is... What do you think of the ...
lens? Is it sharp? Or there's the more generic... Is a zoom lens as sharp as a prime lens?
鏡頭銳度（解像力） － 一個永恒的追求
一個鏡頭的解像力到底能有多高？最常見的一個問題通常是：鏡頭A比鏡頭B銳度高嗎？類似的問題：您覺得這
支鏡頭怎樣？銳度高嗎？或者更普遍點的問題諸如：變焦鏡頭的解像力和定焦鏡頭的同樣好嗎？
That's enough! I'm about to answer your questions, (as well as a few that you didn't ask), and from
here on, until the end of time, you need ask them no more. And, if anyone asks you these questions,
you'll now know where to refer them. Right here.
夠了！現(xiàn)在我就來回答你的這些問題（還包括其他你也許沒問到的），從此直到地球的末日，你就再也不會問此
類問題了。如果再有人問你，你知道該讓他們上哪兒找答案 － 這里。
What's All This About Sharpness Anyhow?
到底為什么會有這么多攝影者關(guān)心鏡頭的銳度？
There are photographers who love to test and compare things. When they make prints or examine their
slides under a loupe, they are not looking to see if they have properly captured a special location, light or subject. They are first and foremost concerned with technical quality rather than image quality.
因為攝影者總是喜歡測試和比較。當(dāng)他們把照片沖洗出來或用高倍放大鏡仔細看他們的幻燈片時，通常他們不是去
看自己是否拍得正確，他們最關(guān)心的總是設(shè)備的技術(shù)指標(biāo)而不是照片本身。
Consequently they fret and fuss. They choose primes over zooms. They buy the most expensive brands
of bodies and lenses. But then when they have them, what do they do? Do they settle down to pursue
their photography? No, they fuss and fret some more, worrying that if only they had a sharper lens
their photography would somehow improve. Sound familiar?
自然的， 他們大驚小怪，然后焦躁不安。他們?nèi)拥糇兘圭R去買定焦。他們?nèi)ベI最昂貴的機身和鏡頭。但是，
買來之后，他們又是怎么做的呢？專心致志的去追求攝影藝術(shù)嗎？沒有，他們更加大驚小怪，更加焦躁不安，
覺得要是有一個解像力更好的鏡頭，他們的照片肯定會更好。嗯，聽起來耳熟？
There isn't a photographer alive who doesn't care about how sharp his or her lenses are. It's one
of the primary manias of anyone playing this game. We buy and sell different brands of cameras in
search of the holy grail of sharpness.
地球上沒有不關(guān)心鏡頭解像力的攝影師。這也是任何攝影裝備焦躁狂的典型癥狀。我們不停的買進賣出不同品牌
的相機和鏡頭，為了有一天能到達銳度的天堂。
Should I trade in my Nikon gear for Canon? Should I trade in my Canon outfit for Nikon glass? damn,
maybe I should buy a Leica system. I hear Leica lenses are fantastic. But, how about Contax? Those
Zeiss lenses have great reputations. But boy, are those lenses ever expensive. Are they worth it?
我要不要把尼康相機賣了換佳能？我要不要把佳能鏡頭賣了換尼康？NND，也許我應(yīng)該買一個萊卡，我聽說萊卡鏡頭
絕對的好；但是，也許康太時（CONTAX）更好？它們用的蔡司鏡頭可是名聲在外啊。不過，這些鏡頭都那么貴。它們
真的值那個價錢？？？
I know you've never had these thoughts, but you have heard from lots of other photographers who have.
Go to any of the on-line discussion boards. You will find that talk about lens sharpness represents probably half the discussions — most of it filled with unsubstantiated opinions and
mistruths.
我知道也許你并沒想到這些問題，但你肯定聽別人談?wù)撨^。去網(wǎng)上那些攝影論壇看看，一半以上的篇幅都在討論類
似的問題，許多帖子都缺乏真憑實據(jù)，還有些根本就是在誤導(dǎo)。
After 40 years as a professional photographer as well as an ardent amateur, as a teacher and as a
journalist, I've learned certain things about photography and photographic equipment, and specific
to this topic — about lens sharpness, its importance as well as, frequently, its lack of importance.
做為一個狂熱的攝影愛好者以及職業(yè)攝影師四十余年，同時也是攝影記者和講師，本人熟悉攝影的方方面面。攝影
器材（特別是本文所要討論的話題－鏡頭銳度），當(dāng)然是重要的－ 不過，更多的時候，并不是那么重要。
Here then is what I know about the subject, shorn of as much baffle gab and BS as I know how to make it.
Some Cosmic Truths
I'm now going to let you in on the great truths. The ones that all true cognoscenti know, but that are
hidden from newcomers and the otherwise uninitiated. If you're really observant you may notice that
this piece has some scattered evidence of the use of irony, (some would call it sarcasm.) Ignore the man behind the curtain. I stand behind every
statement.
一些宇宙級事實
現(xiàn)在我將告訴你一些事實。所有真正的可知論者都應(yīng)該知道的事實，但是它們通常不被攝影新人所了解，或者從來沒
人系統(tǒng)的論述過。如果你仔細看你會發(fā)現(xiàn)這篇文章有不少譏諷之辭（也許該叫挖苦？）請忽略那個幕后的人，這里的
每個字都是我寫的。
Finally, note before you enter the inner sanctum that I have occasionally used the word "Usually".
That's because to be a universal truth, there must be an exception that makes it so. Otherwise, what would we have to argue about?
最后，在你進入這個鏡頭銳度的最后圣殿前，請注意我在文中常用“一般來說”這個詞，因為必須要把幾個例外排除
后絕對真理才會成立，要不然我們又怎么會爭來吵去呢？
Prime Lenses are Sharper than Zooms Lenses (Usually)
The title says it all. There is no free lunch! If you want the utmost in sharpness, don't buy a zoom
lens. But, if you want greater shooting versatility by all means do buy a zoom. You'd be a fool not to.
定焦鏡頭的銳度比變焦鏡頭高（一般來說）
顧名思義。天下沒有免費的午餐！如果你追求絕對銳度，那就別買變焦鏡頭。不過，如果你需要攝影靈活性，請一定
買變焦鏡頭。不這樣做那你就是傻瓜。
Why are primes sharper? A number of reasons. Zooms lenses by necessity have more elements than primes.
This makes them more difficult to design, increases the risk of various forms of optical aberration,
and can reduce
contrast and increase flare.
為什么定焦鏡頭銳度更高？好幾個原因。因為要變焦，所以變焦鏡頭的鏡片數(shù)目比定焦的多。這樣以來變焦頭就更難設(shè)
計，更容易發(fā)生光學(xué)色差，鏡片數(shù)目多也會減低對比度并增加光斑（特別是逆光時的反光－ 譯者注）。
Prime lenses usually have larger apertures than zooms, and the laws of optics say that all other things
being equal (which they often aren't) a wider aperture lens will be sharper than one with a smaller
aperture — the issue being diffraction effects.
定焦鏡頭通常比變焦的光圈大。光學(xué)定律（衍射定律）告訴我們－在同樣情況下，大光圈鏡頭比小光圈的銳度高。
Having made the case for prime lenses, let me say that three of the sharpest lenses I own, the
Canon 70~200 f/2.8L IS zoom, Leica's M series 28-35-50mm Tri-Elmar, and the
Pentax 67's 55~100mm f/4.5 zoom, are as good as any primes in their formats that I've ever used.
As I said — "usually" sometimes defines the rule.
OK，這是定焦鏡的一般規(guī)律，讓我來說說我的三支銳度最高的鏡頭，它們是：佳能的70－200F2.8L IS變焦鏡；
萊卡M系列的三段式變焦鏡頭 Tri-Elmar 28-35-50mm；賓得67的55-100mm F4.5 變焦鏡。
這三支變焦鏡比我用過的任何定焦鏡都不差。這就是我前面為什么老是用“一般來說”這個詞。
Camera Manufacturer's Lenses are Sharper than Third Party Lenses (Usually)
Camera manufacturers want you to buy their lenses. They don't want you to buy a lens from a third
party. If you do they don't make as much money, and making money is why they're in business.
Therefore they have to make some of their lenses as inexpensive as possible. But, professionals
and other serious photographers want the finest lenses possible, which are expensive to make.
What to do?
原廠鏡頭比副廠鏡頭銳度高（一般來說）
相機生產(chǎn)商希望你購買他們的鏡頭，如果你購買其他品牌的鏡頭，他們就無法通過賣鏡頭來賺你的錢。賺錢是他
們的唯一目的，因此，他們不得不生產(chǎn)一些盡量廉價的鏡頭。但是，職業(yè)攝影師和嚴肅的業(yè)余攝影愛好者需要的
是光學(xué)素質(zhì)最好的鏡頭，其制造成本非常高昂。怎么辦？
Most major brands therefore make two lens lines, sometimes so indicated (like Canon's "L" series
glass), and sometimes just differentiated by price. This allows them to cater to both markets.
大多數(shù)相機制造商因此都有兩個不同的鏡頭系列，有的在其鏡頭上注明鏡頭（象佳能的“L”系列專業(yè)鏡頭，）是
哪個系列的，有的生產(chǎn)商干脆什么也不說，通過鏡頭的價格來區(qū)分。這樣他們就能兼顧不同的市場需求。
Third party lens makers usually aren't interested in selling camera bodies. They want to sell you
lenses. And since most amateur photographers make their buying decision based pretty much on
price alone, it isn't hard for these companies to figure out what to do to get this business.
而鏡頭制造商通常對銷售機身不感興趣。他們要賣的是鏡頭。大多數(shù)攝影愛好者買鏡頭時主要看的是價錢。為爭
奪市場，這些鏡頭制造商當(dāng)然知道該怎么做。
If you want the finest lens of a given type, buy the manufacturer's top-line lens. If your priority
is to save money, then buy the third party lens. No matter how hard you try and imagine it to be so, that $200 lens (including a free skylight filter)
from Sigma, Tamron or their brethren just isn't going to be as sharp, free from flare and optical aberrations, well designed and sturdily constructed as a $900 optic from Canon, Nikon or one of the
other majors.
如果你要的是最好的鏡頭，買原廠專業(yè)頭就是了。如果想省錢，那就買副廠鏡頭。不管你怎樣盡心去拍攝或祈禱，
一支200美元的副廠頭（通常附送免費天光鏡），如適馬（SIGMA）騰龍（TAMRON）牌鏡頭或其他的什么牌，在銳
度、逆光表現(xiàn)、色差、設(shè)計以及制造工藝等方面絕對比不上一支售價900美元的原廠鏡頭（如佳能，尼康等）。
Are there exceptions to this. Yes, maybe, sometimes. Some types of lenses are easier to design than
others, so low-cost third-party lenses can be quite decent. But, this brings us to our next cosmic truth.
那有例外情況嗎？也許，有時候。有些類型的鏡頭設(shè)計并不復(fù)雜，所以有些廉價副廠鏡頭也相當(dāng)不錯。但是，這
也就是我們下面將要談到的另外一個宇宙秘密。
You Get What You Pay For
Test drive a BMW or a Lexus. Now test drive a Chevy or Nissan. Notice any differences? Of course
you do. Compare the prices. Now you understand why better costs more.
便宜無好貨
試駕一輛寶馬或者凌志，再試駕一下尼桑或者CHEVY。覺得有區(qū)別嗎？那是當(dāng)然。比比價錢?，F(xiàn)在你明白為什么便
宜沒好貨了吧？
What applies to cars applies to lenses as well. Quality costs money. When is "good enough", good
enough? Only you can answer that. If you can afford a Mercedes, good for you. If a Leica prime lens
is within your reach,
go for it. But if you can't afford one don't delude yourself that a lens that costs 2-3 times as much as another isn't worth the money. It is. For those that can afford it! For those
that can't — get over it, and live happily with what you can afford.
鏡頭和車也是一樣。高質(zhì)量意味著高價格。多好是“足夠好”？足夠好？只有你自己知道。如果你買得起奔馳，
那很好。如果你負擔(dān)得起萊卡定焦鏡頭，那就買好了。如果你買不起，那就別自欺欺人的說那些貴兩三倍的鏡
頭根本不值那個價錢。對那些買的起的人來說它們就是值！對那些買不起的人－ 算了，忘了它，好好去玩那些
你買得起的鏡頭吧。
Please read my parable on coveting high-end equipment for further thoughts on this topic.
Good Technique Trumps Sharp Optics
Now for one of the biggest truths of all. You can fret all you want about how sharp a given lens
may be, but if your photographic technique isn't first rate, having a lens capable of
producing high resolution and high contrast is hardly worth a damn.
好技術(shù)勝過好鏡頭
現(xiàn)在介紹最正確的真理之一。你可以對一支鏡頭的銳度擔(dān)心來擔(dān)心去，但是，如果你的攝影技術(shù)不是一流的，
擁有一支高解像度和高對比度鏡頭也毫無用處。
To get the best from any lens here are some things that you should be doing:
怎樣充分挖掘一支鏡頭的潛力？建議取下：
Use a solid tripod
For 95% of the landscape, nature and wildlife work that I do I use a tripod. Religiously.
I own three; big, bigger and biggest. Just about the only time I hand-hold a camera is when
I'm doing documentary-style street shooting. Hand-holding usually leads to inferior images,
particularly in landscape and nature photography.
使用結(jié)實的三角架
我的風(fēng)景攝影，自然和野生動物攝影95％都使用三角架。嚴格的說我有三個三角架：大的，更大的，和最大的。
只有一種情況我會手持相機拍攝－ 那就是街頭紀(jì)實攝影。手持相機常常會導(dǎo)致劣質(zhì)圖象，特別是風(fēng)景和自然攝影時。
Use mirror lock-up and a cable release.
Vibration; any vibration, is a sharpness killer. Don't hand-hold a lens at a slow shutter speed and
a wide aperture and then worry about whether the lenses sharp or not. What are you thinking of?
使用反光板鎖定和快門線。
震動，任何震動都是銳度的死敵。不要在慢速快門和大光圈時手持相機，然后再去擔(dān)心鏡頭的銳度。你到底在想什么？
Image Stabilization.
Whether it's Canon's IS or Nikon's VR, this is one of the greatest innovations in lens design of the
last quarter century. It works, and it works damn well. for serious long lens work, even when working on a tripod, Canon's family of Image Stabilized "L" series lenses are worth their weight in gold (which partially explains their price).
圖象穩(wěn)定器
不管是佳能的IS（image stabilization）還是尼康的VR（vibration reduction），都是近25年來鏡頭設(shè)計上最偉
大的發(fā)明。它們確實真有用，而且是真TMD有用！當(dāng)使用長焦鏡頭來進行嚴肅的攝影創(chuàng)作時，即使是使用三角架，
佳能“L”系列IS鏡頭的圖象穩(wěn)定器之作用也珍貴如金，這也就是為什么它們都那么貴。
Use the lens' optimum aperture.
This is typically not with the lens wide open, and never when stopped all the way down. Only the finest
lenses are as sharp wide-open as when closed down somewhat, and no lens is at its best when stopped down to f/22 or f/32, due to diffraction effects. Most lenses have their optimum aperture at 2-3 stops down from wide open.
用鏡頭的最佳光圈
一個鏡頭的最佳銳度通常不在最大光圈或者最小光圈處。只有那些最昂貴的鏡頭在最大光圈時才會和光圈小兩檔時的
光學(xué)表現(xiàn)一樣好。由于衍射作用，沒有一個鏡頭的最佳銳度是在光圈F22或者F32。絕大多數(shù)鏡頭的最佳銳度在最大光
圈小兩到三檔處。
Use fine-grain, high-resolution film
You want to be able to see what you've paid all that money for, don't you? Of course using such film
means ISO speeds of under 100, which means that a tripod, cable release and mirror lock-up are a necessity when combined with the use of the lens' optimum aperture.
用細顆粒高解像度膠卷
花了那么多錢，你一直想得到最佳解像度的圖片，不是嗎？當(dāng)使用最佳光圈時，你還應(yīng)該同時使用ISO100或者更低速
的膠卷（如ISO50的 FUJI VELVIA － 譯者注），相機的反光板鎖定功能，三角架，以及快門線。
Your image processing technique and equipment must be as good as your photographic technique and your
lenses.
Whether in the chemical or the digital darkroom; whether using an enlarger or a computer, anything
less than the finest tools and techniques will obviate whatever investment you've made i n fine lenses.
你的圖象后期處理設(shè)備和技術(shù)也應(yīng)該和你的攝影技術(shù)和鏡頭一樣好
不管是傳統(tǒng)的化學(xué)藥水暗室還是現(xiàn)代的數(shù)碼暗室；不管是用放大機還是用電腦，一旦你的后期處理設(shè)備和技術(shù)不是
最好的，你在鏡頭上的投資將化為烏有。
Can you honestly say that your prints match your hopes for a given image? It may not be your lens
that's at fault. It may be what you're doing and the tools that you're using after the photograph was taken that's limiting your
ultimate image quality.
有時候你也許會抱怨：這照片質(zhì)量怎么這么差？！但那可能不是你鏡頭的錯。那很有可能是你的后期處理設(shè)備和技
術(shù)不夠好，鏡頭再好也是白搭。（沖洗藥水配方不精確或者反復(fù)使用次數(shù)太多，或者沖洗時間把握不好，相紙不夠好，
打印機不夠好，或者PHOTOSHOP水平太爛等等等等－譯者注）
If all of the above are not part of your everyday shooting technique then you're likely not getting the
most from your expensive lenses. Only when you've given a lens every chance to show its best do you
have the right to
determine if its performing at its best.
如果以上這些你沒有全部做到，你的那些昂貴的專業(yè)鏡頭也沒法得到好照片。只有當(dāng)你注意了以上所有這些，你才能
決斷你的鏡頭是否達到了它的最佳性能。
Think about the variables standing between a scene in front of the camera and a print hanging on the
wall. A large number of factors determine whether or not the print will be sharp.
看看那些掛在墻上的照片，回想一下相機鏡頭前的實際場景，它們之間可能有很多差異。有太多因素決定一張照片的
最終清晰度，或者銳度：
The lens' resolution capabilities; The film's resolution capabilities; Camera and/or subject motion;
Aperture used and consequent depth of field as well as use of optimum aperture.
鏡頭的解像能力；膠卷的解像能力；相機或被攝體的移動；所用的光圈以及其相應(yīng)景深；是否使用了最佳光圈；膠卷
平度－ 相機的壓力盤（壓住膠卷的那個小長方形盤）正常工作嗎？（也就是膠卷是穩(wěn)妥的否上好了－譯者注）
Film flatness — is the pressure-plate doing its job properly? Film thickness — are all layers in the film (color) bringing the image into focus.膠卷厚度 － ？？？（這里我不知道怎么
翻譯，請各位高手指點。譯者注。）
Film grain — sometimes grain makes images look sharper — sometimes the opposite! 膠卷顆粒－ 有時候顆
粒使圖片看起來更銳利，而有時候則正好相反！
Enlarger parallelism — many aren't, and sharpness suffers 放大機的平衡度－ 許多并不平， 所以也達不到
最佳銳度；
Negative carrier precision and film flatness 底片輸送機的精確度和膠卷的平度；
Enlarging lens quality and aperture used 放大機的鏡頭質(zhì)量和所用光圈；
Resolution of the printing paper used 相紙的解像度；
Of course digital post-processing has its own issues, including... 當(dāng)然數(shù)碼后期處理也有相應(yīng)的問題， 它們
包括：
The film flatness capabilities of the scanner's carrier; The native resolution of the scanner chip and
firmware; The Sharpening level applied in post-processing ; The native resolution of the printer; The
resolution of the printing paper used.
掃描儀的膠片輸送器是否平整？掃描儀本身的解像力以及其所用的驅(qū)動軟件；后期處理對銳度的調(diào)整；打印機本身的解
像度；所用打印紙的解像力；
For digital cameras many of the same issues as for film cameras apply, as well as those for digital image
processing.
See what I mean? The sharpness of a given lens is just one of a myriad of factors, and usually not the
most important one, in determining if a print will look "sharp".
對數(shù)碼相機來說，傳統(tǒng)相機的許多注意事項和數(shù)碼后期處理的原理也同樣適用。
那我以上所說的到底是什么意思？鏡頭的銳度只是決定最終照片銳度的眾多因素之一， 而且往往不是最重要的因素。
The Bottom Line
Are you ready for this? Here's the big one. The one big truth that I've learned about this subject after
more than 40 years as a photographer, and which summarizes the points above.
底線
準(zhǔn)備好了嗎？這就是最終答案。作為攝影師40年來我一直在鉆研鏡頭銳度這個問題，答案就是我上面所總結(jié)的這句話。
"Most Lenses are Better Than Most Photographers"
Does this idea make you uncomfortable? Good. That's what it's meant to do. Think about it.
“大多數(shù)鏡頭比大多數(shù)攝影師要好”
這句話讓你覺得不爽嗎？很好。這正是我要的效果。想想看。
Yes, there is a difference between brands. There definitely is something special about many Leica lenses,
and Zeiss lenses are generally superb. Top Nikon and Canon glass can be as good as it gets. On the other side of the coin, some
Sigma-Tamron -Tokina lenses are indeed so much junk. Some though are pretty good.
是的， 鏡頭品牌之間是有差異的。萊卡（LEICA）鏡頭肯定有它特別之處，蔡司（ZEISS）鏡頭總體上來說是頂級的。頂
級的尼康和佳能鏡頭也幾近完美。從另外一方面來說，有些鏡頭，如適馬（SIGMA），騰龍（TAMRON）和圖麗（TOKINA）
簡直就是垃圾，但有些確實也相當(dāng)不錯。
All of these statements are based on personal experience. None though are universal truths. But it's my unquestionable experience that it is rare indeed that I ever see photographs taken by folks that fret about these issues that even come close to matching the capabilities of even the least pretentious of lenses.
以上這些都是我個人經(jīng)驗的總結(jié)。沒有一個是絕對正確。但是這是我個人不容置疑的寶貴經(jīng)驗。這些年來我遇到不少攝影
者，他們對怎樣發(fā)揮鏡頭的最佳解像度一知半解或者根本一無所知，卻老是在那里抱怨鏡頭不夠銳利。
This is why there are those folks that makes the claims that they do about some lenses or brands, or countries of origin, while there are others who say that they don't see the differences. This isn't a case of "the emperor's new clothes". It's often just a matter of experience and skill, each of which can be acquired if one has
the will.
這就是為什么有的人堅持說不同鏡頭品牌，不同鏡頭系列，或者不同產(chǎn)地的鏡頭之間差別甚大，而有的人說他們看不出
有什么區(qū)別。這并不是新編“皇帝的新衣”。通常這是攝影經(jīng)驗和技術(shù)所造成的，如果你愿意的話，這些經(jīng)驗和技術(shù)都
是可以學(xué)到的。
So, unless you are utilizing all of your photographic skills and know what to look for and how to achieve it, stop worrying so much about sharpness. Buy the lens that fits within your budget and that meets the needs of the type of shooting that you do. Most of all, stop worrying and just enjoy doing your photography.
因此，在你完全掌握所有攝影相關(guān)技巧之前，別再過多擔(dān)心鏡頭的銳度了。買那些你買得起的鏡頭，以及那些與拍攝類
型相符的鏡頭。最重要的，別擔(dān)心了，好好享受攝影的樂趣吧。
－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－
版權(quán)聲明：任何轉(zhuǎn)載請先征得我的書面同意，我也將和原英文作者聯(lián)系。謝謝合作。原文聯(lián)接如下：
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/sharp.shtml 本文的原作者Michael Reichmann 是一位從事攝影40年的職業(yè)攝影家。他的個人網(wǎng)站網(wǎng)址如下：
http://luminous-landscape.com/ 在文章中Michael Reichmann提到了一個非常有趣的寓言， 翻譯如下：
“從前有一位年輕，有天分但貧窮的攝影師。那是60年代的戰(zhàn)爭時期，他想錢也許不是最重要的，藝術(shù)總是第一位的。那時的職業(yè)攝影家擁有
的是尼康FS，萊卡M和哈蘇相機，而這位可憐的貧窮攝影師只買得起賓得，美能達和一些副廠鏡頭如適馬，騰龍的。他只玩得起這些業(yè)余級器
材，但是他成功了。他用這些二等相機三等鏡頭所拍攝的照片被大雜志社廣泛采用。他的圖片也被藝術(shù)博物館和美術(shù)館收藏。這讓他賺了不少
錢，成為了一位自由攝影師。
Once Upon a Time.... Once upon a time there was a young career photographer. He was talented, but he
didn't have much money. Nevertheless, because it was the mid-'60's and he was reacting to his depression/war era parents, he thought that money wasn't important ?
art always came first. Consequently while as his peers, who were developing their careers alongside his, bought Nikon Fs, M series Leicas and Hasselblads, our hero had to satisfy himself using Pentax
and Minoltas along with inexpensive third-party lenses from Tamron, Tokina and the like. He reveled in the simplicity of his ways. And, our hero succeeded. His photographs, made with cheap cameras on even cheaper lenses were widely
published in major magazines, his better work was collected by major galleries and national institutions,
and he was
able to make a decent living as a freelance photojournalist.
不過，他的同行和競爭者們總是在嘲笑他的業(yè)余級攝影裝備。久而久之他開始動搖。他想也許他們說的是對的。很快他
也開始購買頂級相機和鏡頭。尼康，萊卡，康太時，哈蘇等等。以致于他的家庭生活也受到影響，因為他在攝影器材上
花了太多的錢。
Meanwhile his colleagues and competitors continued to tease and distress him about his not using "the best". Then the illness struck. He started to believe that they might be right. As quickly as he could he started
to buy top rated cameras and lenses. Nikons, Leicas, Contax, Hasselblads ?all the top brands. His family's
life-style suffered as he plowed more and more money into the finest camera bodies and lenses available.
到最后，他的攝影生涯和家庭都處于危險之中，因為他在攝影器材上投入的錢財超過了他的經(jīng)濟能力。后來他總算明白了，
他的那些最好的作品都是在他貧窮的時候用那些業(yè)余級器材拍攝的。后來購買的那些頂級器材如鈦金屬機身等等反而遮住
了他的攝影眼光和感覺。
Finally his career as well as his personal life were in jeopardy as his spending exceeded his financial
abilities. Years later he reviewed this period of his life. With hindsight he saw how in fact his best work from
that time of his life was done when he was poor and using so-called "amateur equipment". There was a freshness and a clarity of vision that became veiled by the later obsession with lines/mm, titanium bodies, exotic lens elements and the like.
今天這位攝影師已經(jīng)能負擔(dān)得起他想買的任何頂級攝影器材，他也從這些器材中得到了樂趣。但是，他記得最清楚的
還是在他貧窮時的故事，和教訓(xùn)。
Today he can afford to buy whatever equipment he wishes, and he does, and enjoys every one of them. But, he always remembers the lesson that that difficult period of his life taught him.
全文完
